Of a Quest and a Journey
by DreamingToAchieving
Summary: On their way to Hobbiton for a gathering of the Company they are to share a quest with, Kili and Fili are faced with the challenge of finding their way through a land they've never traveled through. They meet a stranger who teaches the brothers their way through the Shire, and Kili just may teach her a thing about trust and love. (OC/Kili)
1. Chapter 1

**I absolutely love The Hobbit and the brothers Kili and Fili.**

**I wanted to do something a bit different from what other stories of the Hobbit movie-verse are doing based on Kili/OC.**

**I did take the idea of a half elf/hobbit from a Hobbit fanfic by LoveInChains.**

**Disclaimer: My precious, my precious, my precious. I hold TLOTR dear to my heart. It is my precious, but alas, I do not own it.**

* * *

"It seems we're a bit unwelcome," Fili remarked as he and his brother traveled down the road that led through the middle of the small town of Bree. Hobbits, who stared at them as they passed while they tended to their gardens, gave them looks of wonder and almost even disgust.

"These Bree-folk just aren't used to dwarves in their parts," Kili reasoned, more to himself than to his brother.

"I figured hobbits were a nice folk," Fili shrugged. "I'm a bit too intimidated by these small people to ask the shortest way to Hobbiton."

"I don't think we should bother them for a place to sleep either. I'd rather just stay in the Old Forest."

"I agree," Fili said, his hand tracing over the pattern of the holder that held his blade.

They had come a long way from where they lived, a city that dwelled inside the Grey Mountains. They had migrated there as young children when their city, Erebor, had been attacked by Orcs and taken over by a large, fire-breathing dragon named Smaug. Both brothers had gone with their mother to live elsewhere. They had lived their lives inside the Grey Mountains, always seeking to put a small grin upon the melancholy folk that lived there. They'd only been but children when they were forced from their homes, so they didn't truly feel as empty as some elder dwarves did. No one dared speak of the lost city of Erebor or of the beast named Smaug. Both Thori and Kili had never spoken of it either, but they had yet to forget about the wonderful adventures and playful games they once played inside the mountain walls.

It was but a week before that their uncle, Thorin Oakenshield – the rightful heir to the city of Erebor, had contacted them, informing them of a Company he was to lead on a dangerous quest. Fili and Kili were both honorable, dedicated young men and they would have crossed all of Middle-Earth if it meant helping their own blood. They didn't have the faintest clue where they were going or what they were doing, but they were intrigued by the idea of an adventure. They also didn't mind that a few of their friends were a part of the Company they would be traveling with.

"I'd simply like to know why uncle had to choose the small village in the Shire to hold a meeting for the Company. Perhaps he could've chosen a meeting point that was less out of the way. What business do we have in a village full of hobbits?" Kili whined, his hands tightening around the strap of his quiver that held his bow and arrow.

"You should take that matter up with him."

"I'd rather not," he muttered.

"Then what are you complaining for?" Fili sighed.

"We've never traveled around this part of Middle-Earth," Kili pointed out. "I hope we don't arrive late."

"Oi! Don't jinx it! Thorin would dismember us."

Kili kicked a small pebble which rolled until it hit the edge of a front lawn that belonged to a hobbit. The small hobbit glared at the dwarves before shutting his circle-shaped door with a loud _thud!_

"But we don't know the fastest path. There are far too many curves and forks in the road," he said.

"We have another weeks time until we have to meet the Company," Fili said. "Besides, think of the good that awaits us once we reach Hobbiton. It'll be good to see Thorin and our friends."

"I am excited to see Ori," Kili said, looking down at the dirt road. "Haven't seen that bloke in a long time!"

"I just wish that we could've all gotten together under better circumstances," Fili sighed, his gaze now fixed intently upon his gloved hands. He looked deep in thought.

"Me too, but we can't dwell on what is. We should make the best of it."

"Maybe Gandalf will give us a show of fireworks," Fili wished, his voice almost a bit too high.

Kili wished for anything once they arrived for the greetings and joyous feast to stretch through the night. He secretly dreaded the heavy details of the quest he and his dwarf friends were to go on. They were all risking their lives by agreeing to follow Thorin, and he just hoped it wouldn't be in vain if any of them were killed.

"We should set up camp. Into the forest we go," Fili said.

The brothers turned to enter the dense forest that seemed almost endless with various types of vegetation. Woodland animals seemed to be scurrying to find a place to rest their heads for the night.

The city of Bree was behind them, and an entirely unexpected adventure was before them.

* * *

"Do you hear that?" Fili asked Kili, his head perking up. He looked around, squinting to see as best he could in the complete darkness. Fili was busy eating his supper, an almost tasteless pot of stew. The fire provided warmth to the brothers as they rested on the ground, their blankets just underneath them. The night was cold but lacked a fierce wind, which was much to the brother's delight.

Kili had yet to eat, much to Fili's surprise.

"What?" Kili asked. He payed little attention to Fili, only interested in tending to the arrow he was making from thin wood and a sharpened rock.

"Be quiet," Fili hissed at him. He stood up from his comfortable position, setting his plate and silverware aside. He tucked his loose blonde hair behind his ear, as though it was going to help.

Kili lifted his head.

"But you just asked –"

"Hush!" his brother ordered.

Kili set his bow and arrows down from his lap onto the ground.

"What did you hear?" he questioned.

A few more minutes of silence filled the air, only providing a strange feeling to the brothers who were already uneasy. The hoot of an owl was the only thing heard for another minute.

"Nothing," Fili said, shaking his head. "It was just a twig."

"Ah, yes. Those twigs are sneaky ones," Kili chuckled. "Just eat your supper, brother."

A small loaf of bread flew into Kili's lap, and he turned to look at his brother.

"I meant to aim for your head," Fili shrugged.

They then relaxed, and continued on with their activities. Nothing but the sound of animals of the night could be heard until Fili jumped up in alarm.

"There it is again!"

"You've begun to hear things, Fili," Kili remarked, not caring for his brother's antics any longer.

"Something is watching us. I can feel it."

"Watching us? I'd like to see the thing try to sneak up on us! Or rather we sneak up on _it_! Quick, quiet –"

Kili found himself facing his brother with a look of horror on his face, a strong arm firmly holding him down over his neck. He strained to see what – or who – it was that held him in such a strong hold. He feared it was an Orc or some other strange being, but his worries faded when he heard the very bold, clear voice of a woman.

"Quiet, are you? I could have heard you two dwarves from a mile away," she said, her voice ringing inside Kili's ears.

She wasn't large, but she wasn't small. She was just around his height, but just maybe two mere inches shorter. He could see her bare feet just underneath him. She was hobbit, he assumed, but a tad bit different. Her feet were dainty and lacked a single strand of hair. She was too large to be a hobbit, also. A dwarf, maybe? He could see the reflection of the moon hit her blade, which she held with her other hand near the front of Kili's neck. She wouldn't kill him. Women didn't kill men. That just wasn't how it was where he came from, but he was a long way from home now that he thought of it.

"Let him go. I wouldn't wish to harm a lady," his brother's voice ordered, shaking Kili from his thoughts.

She pushed Kili off of her, and it was then that he turned quick enough to get a better view of her. Her hair was brown and shiny, flowing freely in the cold air. Her eyes, he could see, were of a hazel color that he immediately got captured in. She wore a rusty green pair of pants that ended just at her calves and a brown jacket with multiple pockets. She, of course, wore no shoes. Her ears were a bit pointy, but not too pointy as an elf's. She radiated with a simple beauty that Kili had never seen in his entire lifetime.

It wasn't her beauty that got him so bewildered, but the fact that she was a fighter. He had learned so by the way he couldn't escape from her hold and by the quiver on her back that held a bow and multiple arrows with different feathers of each sort available in Middle-Earth. She held the blade in her hand with the utmost confidence, and Kili didn't doubt for a second that she would use it. Use it well, she would.

"That's it? Are you not going to threaten us? Try to steal our things?" Fili asked, his voice a bit agitated with the girl.

"Even if I tried, what would you try to fight me with?" the girl asked, her fingers loosening their grip on the sharp blade she held.

"I just so happen to have a fine edge blade right – What? Where has it gone?" Fili panicked. He began searching through his coat, his pockets, and he even resorted to searching the ground of their campsite.

Kili's eyes remained on the girl, and she met his instantly. She had a grin on, emitting the most dazzling smile ever. Kili was sure that had the sun been out, her smile might have been just as bright. He attempted to seize his thoughts on her as best he could because he was finding it a bit loony to have such a peculiar interest in a stranger he had just met.

She threw the blade that she held to the ground, and it skid towards Kili's feet. He almost chuckled at his brother's own foolish mistake. The blade was his.

Fili stopped searching as he heard the skid of the weapon on the ground. He snapped it up just as Kili was reaching for it. The girl then reached behind her into the quiver on her back. She ran her fingers through the arrows, and Fili raised his blade defensively. She merely laughed at Fili's reaction.

She then pulled out a large loaf of bread that she must have taken from their basket earlier when Fili was eating messily and Kili was tending to his arrows.

"Thief," Fili muttered.

The girl seemed to hesitate a bit before taking a step towards them. Kili could see his brother tighten his grip on the blade.

"You two can relax. I'm not going to harm you."

"You? Harm the two of us?" Kili asked with the evident sign of a chuckle to come.

"Don't be too quick to forget I just had you by your throat," the intriguing girl responded.

"Well, what is it you want?" Fili asked her.

She crossed her arms, thinking for a bit, until a sly smile came upon her face. Kili could follow her greedy eyes which landed on their boiling pot of stew and few loaves of bread.

"Supper would be nice. I wouldn't mind sleeping by a warm fire either."

Fili scoffed in objection to her request. Kili couldn't fathom why because he was finding an interest in this girl as their conversation carried on. He wouldn't mind too much if she stayed the night.

"How do we know you won't slit our throats while we sleep?" Kili asked, his eyebrows scrunching together a bit.

"How do I know you won't do the same?" the brunette asked.

"You don't," Fili said shortly.

"Then it seems all of us will be sleeping with one eye open," Kili said, his desperate attempt at a small joke. His brother's reaction to the stranger was truly annoying him. She was just a lone traveler asking for a meal and a place to stay the night. They could give her that much, couldn't they? He tried to communicate his thoughts with a glare in Fili's direction.

"We'll offer you supper," Fili's voice said, casting a short glance at Kili.

Another moment of tense silence passed between the group.

"I'll just be going. I'm sorry I caused you two a disturbance."

The girl turned, her arrows moving inside the quiver in her back. Kili watched her take a few steps, and he felt just about ready to run to her and beg her to stay. What did Fili have against this girl? She had stolen his blade, but she returned it. It had to account for something.

"Apology accepted," Fili muttered, before turning his back to walk to his blanket which lay on the ground.

"Wait!" Kili shouted. "We won't deny a woman a warm place to sleep and dine. It's only one night."

Kili chose to ignore the imaginative daggers being thrown at his back from an angered Fili. The girl froze where she was, turning to look at the brothers.

"Don't take pity on me. I can take care of myself," she said with complete confidence and independence. If there was one thing she hated, she hated being a pity case. She could very well fend for herself. She had traveled far and near to different lands that most that inhabited Middle-Earth knew not of their existence. She had fought for her life many times, and she had always won. She was anything but a pity case.

Kili mustered a sly grin.

"It's your choice, Beauty."

"I'll just rest over there then, Beast," she returned, already moving to the furthest corner near the fire to rest on a tree.

Kili stood there, completely dumbfounded at her response. He tried to push his interest for the girl out of him, to rid himself of thoughts of her, but he couldn't. She was as dominant and strong-minded in his mind to stay there as she was in reality to stay at their campsite.

An hour or so had passed before Fili had let himself be taken by sleep, but not before he managed to argue a bit with Kili. He quietly whispered his objection to what his brother had done as Kili ignored him, paying attention to his supper only. He didn't dare sneak a glance at the stranger, who was leaning against the tree trunk, dozing into sleep and then suddenly awaking. It wasn't until Fili had fallen asleep that Kili ventured over to her.

"Finished eating?" she asked.

Kili laid his blanket – the only one he had brought with him for the long journey – over the girl. He could see her mouth open, ready to protest, but she only tugged the blanket tighter around her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Thought I'd come over here to keep you company. I'd like to know our guest a little bit better," Kili murmured.

They both spoke in hushed tones, as to not wake the sleeping dwarf a few feet away. _Mordor hath no fury like an angry dwarf_, Kili thought.

She pulled from her quiver a familiar looking arrow to one of Kili's own.

"Here. I took one of your arrows to compare it to mine," she said, handing over one of Kili's arrows. He took the arrow in his hand, trying to keep the look of surprise off of his face.

"Tricky one, aren't you?"

"Don't be too quick to judge me, dwarf. I simply take what I need," she shrugged.

"Doesn't seem like the type of lifestyle a woman wishes for."

The girl gave him a look of disbelief before she tucked away her quiver.

"Should I spend my life inside a house, doing nothing but tending to whatever other thing a man would order from his wife?"

Kili lifted his hands in defense.

"Don't take offence. It's just that – well, you're the first lady I've ever come across that owns a bow and arrows."

She seemed to relax a bit, and she shook her head. She seemed to be deep in thought before she turned to look at Kili.

"Well, I use what I need to survive."

"To survive? You travel often then?"

She nodded. "I'm a nomad of Middle-Earth."

"Do you know this area well?" Kili asked almost instantly.

"Too well."

"My brother and I are traveling towards the Shire to a village called Hobbiton. Do you know of it?" Kili asked her.

"What are you two going to do in a quiet village such as Hobbiton? If I know hobbits, they enjoy their peace just as much as their quiet," the stranger replied, her voice still confident as ever.

"So you know of it?"

"Yes," she said, her voice a bit hesitant.

"How far is it?" Kili asked.

"An eight day journey if you walk."

Kili nodded, taking the information into account. The sound of night creatures continued to fill the night, as did the sound of Fili's loud snoring which could have very well been able to disturb the slumber of any ancient creature.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

"Arialla Underfield," she said.

"I'm Kili and that is my brother Fili," Kili said, nodding towards his sleeping brother.

"What business do two dwarves have in Hobbiton?" she asked, her instincts wrinkling with curiosity.

"Now, my brother would very well boil me if I told you anything. I find it hard to think rationally though when faced with your distracting beauty," Kili said with a cheeky grin on his face. "We're traveling there to meet our Company that we will travel with on a quest."

He could see her cheeks tint just a bit darker. It may have been the moon casting a strange tint onto them, but he truly doubted it.

"What quest?" Arialla asked him.

Kili shut his eyes for a moment. He had spent their entire journey thus far attempting to find the answer to it.

"Even I don't know the answer to that, Aria."

"How many are in your Company?"

"I haven't the slightest clue. A large group of dwarves, I suppose," Kili told her.

Her laugh filled the air with shocking electricity that surprisingly comforted his nerves.

Kili found himself wishing to dissect the very mind of this woman that sat next to him, wrapped in his wool blanket that he had so willingly gave her. She was as hesitant

"I don't think the hobbits will like that very much."

"You seem to like us, don't you?"

Kili licked his lips, suddenly aware of how dry his throat was. No, he shouldn't have been so nervous around his stranger. He had no idea who – or what – she was. Her eyes drove deep through him once more.

He could see a large amount of hesitation before she turned to look at him. Her eyes began searching for something, and Kili desperately hoped she found it. He could never know enough about this woman.

"I'm not a hobbit. Well, I suppose so, but only a half-blood."

"What other blood are you then?" Kili asked, his curiosity for the girl increasing.

"I've also elf blood running through my veins," she murmured. Although Kili knew she was only a part elf, he couldn't stop himself from thinking all of what he was taught as he grew up with his brother. Fili was taught just the same. _"Elven-folk ain't nothin' but traitors. Untrustworthy, I tell you."_

Kili found trouble imagining Aria as so, but it was difficult to not think of the things dwarves said of elves as he spoke to her.

"You're lucky you have such a wonderful face to look at, Beauty."

"I don't think you're brother regards me as highly as you do. I think he'll like me less than he does already when he finds out what my origins are," Aria said.

"Don't care too much of what he thinks of you. He'll warm up to you eventually."

"Eventually? I'm only staying the night with you two."

"Did you think you could get rid of me that easily? It seems that my brother and I will need you to get to Hobbiton as soon as possible. You do know your way around these parts, and I'm hoping that these next eight days will serve as a better way for me to know my way around _you_, Beauty."

His smirk sent a shiver up Aria's spine. She soon collected her senses before waving her hands in protest.

"Wait just a second. How do you know that I'll agree to this? I might have somewhere else to be."

The grin upon the dwarf's face never disappeared for a second.

"If you did, you wouldn't have asked to have stayed the night in our company. It's lonely traveling alone. I'm thankful I have my brother, and I wouldn't dream of letting you wander alone to nowhere when you can wander with me to somewhere," he said. "You, Arialla Underfield, want an adventure, do you not?"

Pondering the question for quite a while, she finally whispered in a stern voice:

"I'll go with you just as far as Hobbiton. Don't expect me to go further."

Kili smugly shook of the dirt on his clothing after he stood up from where he sat.

"I'll wake my brother in the mornin' and tell him of our newly appointed guide."

He began to walk back to the campfire to his sleeping brother who would no doubt be infuriated in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**I thank all my readers for taking the time to alert, favorite, and review this story. Your amazing response is my muse!**

**Oh! I changed the title of the story because so many others are much the same. **

* * *

He heard the cheerful chirping of birds around him, the slight breeze a comfort to him. He turned in his sleep, still wishing to sleep just a while longer. Much to his great annoyance, Kili found himself being violently pushed awake by a firm set of hands. He found himself searching for the edge of his blanket to pull over his head, but quickly realized he had fallen asleep with the lack of one. Due only to the cold, Kili slowly lifted his eyelids to suddenly be met with the intense glare of his brother.

"I haven't had any time to check for any missing things, but I'm sure she's stolen much more than what her hands can carry. I don't know when she left," Fili muttered, adding a few curse words just under his breath. Kili chose to not pay much attention to his brother's side comments, but chose to show concern over his brother's words.

"She's gone?" Kili asked, whipping his head around to the tree stump where he had last seen Aria asleep. He didn't dare admit it to his brother, but he had dozed off during the night only to wake up and see Aria sleeping peacefully at the trunk of the tree, her face one of pure bliss. He only then thought it odd that he had done such a thing. He wondered how Aria would react to his actions. _No doubt saw me in half, _he thought. His blanket still lay on the ground where she had been.

"She's had all night to steal what she wanted. I assumed you'd be keeping watch all night, judging from how your amorous eyes stared upon her," his brother continued on, not paying attention to the half-asleep dwarf standing next to him, rubbing his eyes as though it would help awaken his senses.

"My amorous eyes? Fili, I only wished to help the poor girl. She told me of how she travels alone from land to land. Arialla knows this area well. She can help us," Kili insisted, hoping his brother would let down his well-built wall of stubbornness. It was a trait Fili inherited from Thorin, no doubt.

Fili gaped at him before running a gloved hand over his face. He scoffed.

"I should have expected you to wander off to have a chat with her – _Arialla_ – in the night. What other lies did she tell you?"

Kili was reminded that it appeared just as so. Aria wasn't anywhere to be seen, but he found it comical that his brother assumed she had stolen things from their camp. She didn't seem a true thief from what he gathered when they had chatted the night before. Still, Kili held his position, refusing to be pushed around by his older brother.

"They were not lies, brother. You know how quick and clever she is! She certainly hadn't gained such experience knitting or tending to supper for a family. She's offered to help us," he said, his tone indicating that he was desperate for Fili to agree. "Please consider how dire it is we reach the Company in time."

Fili seemed angered until he let out a deep sigh, one that seemed to have been held in for quite a long time.

"It doesn't matter much, does it? She's up and gone in the night."

From the dense forest came the crunching of dead leaves just under a bare foot that belonged to Arialla. Kili thought himself a fool that he almost had believed his brother's claims. He also seemed to have forgotten in his sleep how much of a clear effect Aria seemed to have on him. He tried to rid his eyes of any desire in them, for he was now certain that his brother would be watching him more carefully.

The two brothers were astoundingly quiet as Aria approached their camp, which was almost fully packed. She seemed to not have noticed their odd behavior.

"I don't predict any bad weather although I do see rainclouds a far distance behind us. If we set off now, I assume they won't catch up to us. Don't trust my word, but it seems you don't already."

Kili could feel his brother's watchful eyes upon him, judging his every move. He knew it would be rather suspicious if he opted to not even so much as give Aria a glance, so he stared at her for a second before whipping his head back to the camp they still needed to pack. He wrapped his blanket, enjoying the breeze for it cooled his warm cheeks.

"We thought you'd gone," Fili muttered just under his breath, hardly audible for Aria to hear, but she surprisingly caught his words.

"I couldn't see anything with the dense treetops this forest has. I walked to the road to get a better view of the sky."

Kili tucked his blanket into the carrier on his back, careful as to not catch anything onto his quiver. He scurried to pack away all the things he could find but found not much left. His brother had apparently made sure to pack before he had woken up.

At this time, Kili stiffly walked back to his brother and Aria. He risked a small glance before he found himself not able to look away from her piercing hazel eyes. This time, it was Aria that quickly looked elsewhere. To Kili, she seemed uncomfortable.

"We'd better be on our way," Kili said, trying to find a way for Aria to meet his gaze. He would resort to terrific, extravagant fireworks such as Gandalf's to catch her attention.

"Am I still welcome?" Aria asked, her voice timid. He would have thought that she was a bit shy had he not had the privilege of having her attack him in the night with Fili's own blade. He knew that was most positively not the case.

Seconds passed before he found Fili speaking in a much more agreeable tone.

"By all means."

Kili grinned in response, and Aria seemed only content.

After Fili had checked the camp was completely abolished, the two dwarves followed after the elf-hobbit obediently. They traveled in silence for a long time, only paying any mind to the many turns they were making in the Old Forest. Kili was sure they were going in circles, but he didn't question Aria. It wasn't until he saw his brother, who walked aside him, begin to get restless. He let out a sigh before breaking the silence that was upon the group.

"Don't mind me saying so, but wouldn't it be much easier to follow the road?"

Aria stopped in her tracks before turning to face Fili. Her attention was then diverted when a small chipmunk raced through the trees past them. She had her bow and an arrow in her arms, ready to shoot. Her reflexes were sharp, and Kili was shocked at how amazingly calm she looked as she held the bow in her arms. She looked as a natural born shooter would. Aria let her arm fall before answering Fili.

"You risk a high chance of being robbed or hurt by muggers and looters."

"We haven't got any treasure on us to robbed," Kili shrugged, cracking a smile. He found it odd that Aria so much as refused to spare him a small bit of attention. Kili found himself soaking in every detail and habit of the woman before him. He found himself wishing she would purposely lead Fili and himself in the wrong direction just so he could spend another week's time with her.

"Do we not risk a higher chance of running into Orcs or some other foul creature in this forest?" Fili asked her.

Kili could see Aria's jaw clench at his brother's words. A questioning feeling, possibly one of suspicion, arose within him.

"No. We'd be well-prepared for them, if there were any at all roaming about," she answered, her voice a bit softer. The way she stood seemed to have changed as well for she was now looking more timid. Kili found it a true sight and wonder.

"Do you truly think that? The three of us would be defenseless against numerous Orcs," Kili stated. Aria rolled her eyes.

"Have a little faith."

Fili lifted his hands in the air in a show of frustration.

"There is a fine line between an unknown danger being sprung upon us by surprise and openly inviting the danger to spring."

"We'll travel through the woods," Aria said, her voice calm and once more strong.

Kili chuckled at her inability to have things go any other way than her own.

"You're a tough one, aren't you, Princess?" Kili asked, but she didn't hear. To his dismay, Fili had.

"Aye. Tougher than you, brother," he whispered, which earned him a push into a fern tree. They continued on.

Kili found himself staring at Aria. He was mesmerized by the way her hair looked as the wind blew through it and how she seemed so confident as she made her way carefully – without much thought at all – through the forest.

He was at a loss for charming words or sarcastic words to say, things of which were his specialty. He had learned to always make a jolly event out of any uncomfortable or somber situation when he had grown up. It was what he had to do to make the carpenter at the Woodstock Cavern crack a small smile or make his mother let out a tiny giggle, one that so rarely escaped since they arrived at the Grey Mountains – fatherless, homeless, and somber. But now, as he walked just behind Aria, he was speechless.

Kili strode with clumsy steps towards the hunter. He heard the grunt of Fili behind him, but he didn't care.

"You were right about the weather," he said, his hand toying with the strap of his quiver that came over his chest.

Aria lifted her head to observe the sky above them.

"It would appear so."

Kili smiled, but found his smile to be strained. She wasn't in the mood for talking, he assumed, but he wouldn't give up so easily.

"Are you at all a bit fatigued? It astounds me how much stamina you have."

Aria craned her neck the slightest to look over to the dense bushes that they were just passing.

"Does it? I seem to astound you often."

Hadn't she just been open with him that past night? What had made her so cold all of a sudden?

At that moment, she stopped suddenly, causing Kili and Fili to stare at each other with uncertainty. Aria smirked, standing in silence as she stared at the array of bushes.

"Just an animal," she whispered. As though on command, a deer darted through the bushes and out of sight.

Kili thought of what his brother must be feeling for the girl now that he was gaining better insight into just how clever she was. The elven-hobbit and two dwarves stepped over a large tree stump that they had to straddle before they were able to get across.

"I can fend for myself, Kili. I've obviously proved just that. Do you still wish to help the poor girl?" Aria asked Fili, her tone one of frustration and anger.

"What do you mean?" Kili asked, truly confused.

Aria met his eyes, and he sucked in a breath before letting the air flow to his brain.

"Did you not tell your brother that earlier as you two were fighting? Perhaps you two dwarves should learn to use hushed voices. You only wished to help the poor girl, did you? I don't need your pity."

Kili was sure his face portrayed pure terror because he recalled exactly the words Aria was reciting. He hadn't at all intended for her to overhear. He had only been trying to convince his brother to allow her to come along on their trip. She would see that, wouldn't she?

"I believe that," Kili said, referring to her words._  
_

"What?" she asked.

"I know you aren't in need of my pity." He believed his words. It was what he felt. She was anything but in need of pity.

Aria let out a sound of which showed her frustration.

"I don't need you to flatter me, either. I need you to leave me be."

Kili grew a bit frustrated with the girl. She had agreed to come along on their journey as their guide. She had surely known how long the trip was and what it meant to travel with dwarves. She hadn't considered that she would be anything but alone on the trip?

"Leave you be? If you enjoy being alone as much as you seem to, why did you agree to come?"

"I don't enjoy it," Aria said, her eyes communicating an emotion of sadness. He gazed into her hazel eyes, the ones he adored, and saw that there was more to Arialla than her hard shell. He hadn't begun to crack the surface.

"Don't think I am a book that you have already read. You have just tried to begin, but it will all be desperate attempts to only end in failure when you realize that I am not one that is flipped open so easily."

Somehow, Kili was well aware that their conversation had reached an end, and she would say not a word more. He agreed, rightfully so. He felt that every word he said was the wrong to say, and he'd only offended her throughout their conversation. He only grew more curious as to why Aria was so reserved to a lone life of traveling, but he didn't think too much on it as he fell back to walk with his brother. His foot would only be put in his mouth once more.

* * *

They were all but done for their first day of travel, for the night had sprung upon them like a disguised thief. The air had grown to be chilly with lack of the warm sun out above. Fili and Kili sat nearest to the fire, sharing one blanket as the other was lying unused next to Aria. No doubt she was still angry.

"You were wrong, brother," Fili chuckled as he watched Kili shake from the cold.

"She needed a blanket. I wasn't going to let her freeze," Kili hissed.

"No," Fili chuckled. "I don't object to that, but I think she may."

They looked over to Aria, who was toying with her supper. She seemed completely unaffected by the weather. It was no wonder the blanket lay next to her in a heap.

"Aye," Kili muttered.

Kili could feel his brother's eyes studying him as he himself watched Arialla. Fili moved the ladle to stir the stew.

"She doesn't need your pity. I believe she needs someone to fight with her, not against her or for her," Fili said.

Kili truly took it into account. Perhaps he didn't know anything about her. He'd have to watch his tongue when he spoke to her. As Kili thought more on the matter and his brother's wise words, he knew all he could be was a listener for the time being. She didn't like being alone, that he knew, and if he had been alone all his life, he'd want to be heard. Even if he didn't choose to speak, he figured the presence of another would be just as sufficient. He struggled to keep his eyes open, but he failed. He was soon fast asleep, only stirring but once in the night to see Aria fast asleep near them, tightly hugging the blanket over her body.


End file.
